Great Lakes - Racing out at my 'lake base' July 5th and 6th!

Psi's only trying to help you avoid an unpleasant scenario. It's a reasonable suggestion. It's also not a huge deal.

Now let's hug it out *****es.

Psi's only trying to help you avoid an unpleasant scenario. It's a reasonable suggestion. It's also not a huge deal.

Now let's hug it out *****es.

Oh I know...
I mean look at him there in that picture...ready to pounce into action on my busted nipple.
He's got my back....good people....all those BIFNIC'ers. :D

OK...ten tons of booty packed for four days of riding and a 4th and 5th of July party at the lake location.
I'm heading out....recon the course at about 1 this afternoon....THEN grass cutting.

I'll bring a backup jersey, but wear the Paris kit and see what happens.

rules are rules. you want to race follow the rules. later.

UPDATE FROM THE LAKE HOUSE--

Here's your course recon report from my ride this afternoon...

OK, now I am assuming from the map that we'll be going clockwise, with right turns at Tower, Young and Tamarac, starting on third street in Palmyra, which turns into Little Prairie road.

Here's a lap:

Little Prairie Rd. starts out flat and then comes the biggest climb of the lap. Overall, the heavy lifting here on this 5+-mile lap is all at the front of the lap. The main climb comes just a bit into the lap...it starts with a short, steep burst that leads into a long and nagging uphill. This is where I was really hurting. It just drains everything out of my legs and I'm lucky to be going 10 mph here at times. This part leads into the steep actual final part of the climb then. I was dying. The first time I did it I just said to myself that I probably shouldn't even be in this race. What a struggle.

Now, there is no big downhil payback on LP either....once you crest this nasty climb there is a slight downhill to a flatter area. JDub...and anyone else taking pictures....go there at some point. Do NOT go in the opposite direction of the lap because there is nothing there. If you go in the direction of the lap, you'll get this climb to shoot and then keep walking because there in the flat section after the climb there is a field with those giant hay bales rolled up in it. Stand on the right side of the road to use that as a background and I swear they'll look like Tour de France photos!

On with the lap.

From LP you hang a right onto Tower road, and there is a steep little climb right there after the turn.
Once I did this a couple of times and got the feel for the lap I can tell you that after this Tower Rd. climb the real work of the lap is behind you now.

Tower Rd. the rest of the way is nothing special, just pretty woods, country road riding.

The next turn onto Young Rd. is just a typical country road intersection. Young features some rollers, but nothing to worry about here.

The turn (all right hand) onto Tamarac is now loaded with gravel, stones and potholes. I hope they sweep the course ahead of time. Be careful here with those holes though.

Tamarac is pretty and non-descript until things get very interesting later in the run.

Here's your spot recursive....my thought for you...
There's a horse stable on your right real close to the road on an uphill....cream color horse usually there....just ahead of that climb you'll see a road sign on your right that says 'trail X-ing" and at that point you could really fly. There is a long downhill coming (sand on it all over the place too...again I hope they sweep) and you can either tuck and rest or make a move here....there is only one little uphill that you can pedal through and then it is down again....all this spills into a sweeping right hander....NOT a regular intersection 90-degree....an easy sweeping right-hand bend that I was hitting at 32 mph today without effort! It's actually fun in there.

Then there's a pretty long, straight stretch of crappy, bumpy road into town as you come back to the end of the lap.

I did four laps today because it is all I had time for, and I can tell you it felt like 50 miles, not 29 or so.
I just can't drag my arse up that big climb.
If there are others in the event that suck at climbing as bad as me, well, then that's good because I'll at least have someone to ride with for the rest of the lap. I was going about 20 mph working hard solo in the other portions....it's really all I have.

I could take the weak way out and just say I'm not ready, but screw it....I'll try it for as many laps as I can do or as many as they allow me to do. The race should be about double what I did today....and I'm not so sure I can get 7-8 times up that climb out of this body of mine.

I like the sound of this course. If there has to be climbing, I need it to be as far from the finish as possible. And a downhill run to the finish is just what I need to hold off those skinny *******s.

I like your attitude on this race. There are always excuses not to race. Sometimes you just have to do it anyway and see what happens. No regrets.

Good luck at the race guys...

Friday UPDATE:

I was actually driving on the course today at one point and saw some guys with brooms ahead of a guy walking a power blower along the side of the road. Way to go WCA...cleaning up the course ahead of time.

For those racing, again, a heads up about one turn....from Young to Tamarac....lots of potholes and they are spread in various places through the turn....careful if you can....it's a rough patch for sure.

Have fun ride hard.

But may your opponents ride harder.